Question about lubeing boolits....

[hondasjp]

Hello,

I just getting into casting, learning curve is allot. Anyway, I have lee sizing dies, and the way I was lubing was per lee instructions with the provided Lee Liquid Alox. I am not a fan of it. So what I am doing is I took a tube of lube I bought at Cabelas, it was Lyman somthin or another (i already threw away the package). I took and split the plastic case strait down and took one of my RCBS case lube trays and took the fome out of it and flatin out that lube in there. I take my boolits and rollem across that lube and size em. It puts a nice even coat of lube on it. Then the same process before I am loading em. Any suggestions about this would be great. Is that enough lube? Its a little messy but it works.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

I don't know what that Lyman lube is but I know about the alox. Depending on my boolit size, I can either size my boolits through a Lee sizer without any lube at all or roll them in a little bit of 45-45-10 (there is a sticky on this) and then size them. When sizing with the LEE sizer, sometimes if the boolit is kind of large, you will get a skirt on the bottom of the boolit. If this happens, size the boolit base first instead of nose first. Check the diameter of your sized boolits. My LEE dies were just a little bit undersized and sanding them out with a dowel wrapped in sandpaper enlarged them and smoothed them right up. Welcome to Cast Boolits. You have found an incredible source for information on casting and all the rest.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

...I just getting into casting, learning curve is allot.

...Is that enough lube? Its a little messy but it works.

Honda,
welcome to the best boolit casting website on the planet.
YEP there is a BIG learning curve. I'd recommend getting a good cast reloading manual, like Lyman castbullet handbook #4
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/867...h-edition-book
and look, it's on sale too !!!

in reference to your lube question, the quick answer is probably NOT enough lube and "Messy" usually leads to problems when reloading.

But you gave few details, a better answer could be given with more info.
what lube?
what boolit ...is it a TL boolit?
what caliber?
what load? ...a plinker or are you runnin' HOT ?
with your rolling process, is any lube accumulating in the grooves

[hondasjp]

Hello,

The lube that I am rolling my boolits around in is Lyman Alox bullet lube (it was a tube with a hole in the middle)
The cal's are 9mm, 40, 45acp and 38 speacial.
I am using wen 231 in all three. I have some other powders i ve just always had great luck with the 231
there not very hot ...I load pretty much at the starting sug grs of my lyman reloading manual for cast boolits
I little lube is getting in the grooves not much tho... about the same as the rest and I ve been wiping off the very bottom.
I am ordering the casting manual for sure

This is an incredable site. I am going to get a good sizer/luber in time, I was hoping there was a way in the mean time thats all.

I did notice the lee sizing dies are .001 smaller than what they claim as I am a little A.D.D. with my calipers....

Thanks for the responces...still have a ton to learn!!

[Errokk]

I use the 45-45-10 tumble lube from White Label Lubes and have great results. It's worth the cash to buy it already made vs making it yourself. As said above, Welcome to the GREATEST forum for casting/loading information there is.

[Recluse]

Hello,

I just getting into casting, learning curve is allot. Anyway, I have lee sizing dies, and the way I was lubing was per lee instructions with the provided Lee Liquid Alox. I am not a fan of it. So what I am doing is I took a tube of lube I bought at Cabelas, it was Lyman somthin or another (i already threw away the package). I took and split the plastic case strait down and took one of my RCBS case lube trays and took the fome out of it and flatin out that lube in there. I take my boolits and rollem across that lube and size em. It puts a nice even coat of lube on it. Then the same process before I am loading em. Any suggestions about this would be great. Is that enough lube? Its a little messy but it works.

Howdy and welcome.

A couple of suggestions. First, keep your wrappers and containers for all products. If/when you find a combination that works really well, but you can't remember exactly what the component was (brand, style, makeup, etc), it can drive you nuts.

Secondly, disregard the vast majority of "instructions" found with Lee, especially when it comes to casting. I have a lot of their two-banger molds and love their push-through dies, plus have both Classic series presses on the bench, so I'm not bashing Lee--just their "technical writer."

For a beginning caster, the number one hardest thing for you to acquire is discipline. I've yet to meet the new caster who tried tumble-lubing who didn't gop up their boolits the first time out even though they've read on this site (and probably others) that "if you can see the lube, you have too much" when it comes to tumble-lubing.

Your mind is telling you, "No way this little bit of lube is enough. I need MORE! WAY MORE!"

With that said, tumble-lube formulas work differently than traditional stick lubes, for the most part. If you're going to smear stick lube into your lube grooves, then you need to fill them. With tumble-lubing, you do not need to fill the grooves, at least not for most handgun caliber boolits.

At the end of the day, it's about what works moreso than how you did it (so long as you stay SAFE doing it). But those who have been doing this for a while have learned how to not create too much extra work or mess for ourselves.

[hondasjp]

Thanks ....Good stuff. Greatly appreciated.

[mdi]

The Lyman lube you describe is a wax base lube ment fo use in a lubersizer. But, there's lots of ways to use it without a lubersizer. What you describe you are doing is almost "finger lubing" which is taking a bit of lube on your fingers and pressing it into the lube grooves. It works but is tedious and messy. You can also heat/melt the lube and dip your bullets in it and when cool remove the excess, making sure the lube stays in the groove. And of course there is Pan Lubing (do a search and/or check the stickies).

Alox works on the bearing surfaces of the bullet and very little is needed and solid lubes are intended to be placed in the lube grooves. Lots of info on both methods here; http://www.lasc.us/LubeIngredients.htm and http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chap...ubrication.htm

[hondasjp]

Thanks MDI. I ve got some boolit pulling to do. Not much tho. I stopped because I had a feeling I was doing it wrong.

Thanks

[hondasjp]

I broke down and bought the Lyman 4500 heater sizer/luber. I hope this will help.

[runfiverun]

you'll see.
i have three star's and still use tumble lube....and dip lube a couple of boolits too.
it's all just part of the process.

[country gent]

The only boolits I lube are the big grease grooves I shoot over Black powder. These I finger lube with emmerts improved that I make myself. I will sit with a lap tray I made on my lap. A cake of lube, box of bullets ( more handy beside me) a rag and do this while Im watching/ listening to TV in the evenings. Its like packing a wheel bearing with grease and I know the grooves are full. I then run thru a lee sizer that has a little more Lead worked into it. This pushes packs the lube into the groove even tighter than my finger. You need to clean the excess of the sizing die once in awhile to remove the build up though. I scrape it off with an old plastic card and reuse it. I do it this way as it saves cleaning out the lube sizer when changing trying new lubes, I can see what Im getting and no hidden air bubbles in the lube when Im done. Im lubing 510-535 grn 45 cal bullets and will soon add 550+ to this. With my Paper patched bullets a Grease cookie is between the powder and boolit to lube. ussually 1/8" tp 3/16" thick.